FURIA knocked paiN out of the ESL Pro League Season 23 1-2 pool, moving one win away from a playoff berth after a two-map series win that closed on Dust2. Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo’s side began the online portion with losses to B8 and 3DMAX but then put together consecutive victories over HEROIC and paiN to keep their LAN hopes alive. paiN, who added Vinicius “vsm” Moreira and Guilherme “piriajr” Barbosa to the roster recently, were unable to recreate the form that carried them past 3DMAX, Passion UA and G2 in Stage 1.
FURIA opened the series by dismantling paiN on Inferno. Despite losing the pistol, FURIA’s defense locked down the first half, the visitors gave up just two opening duels, and paiN finished the map with only six rounds. Lucas “nqz” Soares pulled a 1v4 Tec-9 clutch that prevented a complete blowout, but it wasn’t enough to stop FURIA.
The teams moved to Dust2, where Danil “molodoy” Golubenko led the charge. molodoy was especially dangerous early, and FURIA extended a strong start after KSCERATO and Yuri “yuurih” Santos converted a 2v5 in the first full gun round while paiN’s vsm dropped out of the server mid-round. FURIA went into the break up 10-2, molodoy’s saved AWP and a double-AWP opener in the final round helped seal the map and the series.
The result leaves FURIA one win from clinching a spot at the LAN finals; they must win their next match in the 1-2 pool to reach the playoffs. For broader Pro League context, see our coverage of other teams fighting for playoff places on the same stage, such as The MongolZ clinching a playoff spot.
Do you think FURIA will close out the 1-2 pool and reach the LAN? Drop your thoughts in the comments, and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram.
